Thermal imaging systems are often used to detect objects in various situations. As examples, law enforcement personnel, defense personnel, security systems, and game hunters sometimes use thermal imaging systems to detect the presence of humans or animals in the surrounding environment of the system.
However, in conventional systems, a user of a thermal imaging system often must already know the location of the object to be detected, the object to be detected must move in front of a fixed imaging system, or the system must be scanned over an area in order to locate the object. Moreover, these systems are typically either fixed systems that monitor a constant location or handheld systems that require the hands of a user to hold and operate the system.
Fixed systems can be limited in their ability to detect the presence of objects around a mobile user. Handheld systems can be impractical in situations in which the operator of the system needs free hands for other activities and/or needs constant monitoring of a wide range of angles around the user.
It would therefore be desirable to provide improved thermal imaging systems.